Sibling Rivalry
by bejou
Summary: Ron is tired of living in the shadow of his siblings, and one day he is pushed a little too far.


**Sibling Rivalry**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Warning: Not beta'ed**

Ron sat in his room fuming. He threw his novelty snitch in the air, a gift from Harry, and thought seriously about throwing it through the ceiling. Maybe a hole would give him some sort of satisfaction.

His face was as red as his hair, and for once it wasn't because of embarrassment. No, this time it was for something he took much more personally than taunts about his wealth. Something that hurt him more deeply than insults about his large family.

This matter had to deal with family. About his great big, loving family. A family he sometimes wished he didn't have. He stared at the door of his room and strained to hear sounds of a happy family coming from below. Sure enough, just as he predicted, he could hear the joyous sounds of contentment from downstairs. He could even picture it in his head. A picture perfect scene it was too.

Fred and George playing small harmless pranks on everyone. Ginny reading on the couch. Mum and Dad sitting together, talking quietly. A letter from Bill or Charlie on the table, and a newspaper that listed his brother, Percy's, latest accomplishment at the Ministry. Any trace of Ron? No, hardly likely. After all, what great thing had he done lately?

It made his blood boil that his family could be content and go about their daily business without him there, but that was exactly what they did.

Earlier that day, Ron had told his mum he wasn't going to return to Hogwarts. She'd yelled until she was hoarse, and then some. He had cowered in the corner while his father shook his head sadly. He could smell their disapproval even when he'd stormed up to his room to sulk for the rest of the night.

"Why can't you be a little more like your brothers? They all did something with themselves I can be proud of. Even Ginny is coming along nicely." Molly had screeched in her bout of fury.

It was exactly what Ron had always feared. He was the failure of the family. He would never live up to the gleaming statues that were his bothers' memories. In fact, he was better off in the shadow they cast over him with all their amazing accomplishments.

He clenched his hand around the snitch, and tried in vain to hold back tears. Couldn't it be enough that he made good enough grades, was friends with Harry bloody Potter, and helped saved the world from You-Know-Who on multiple occasions?

Quite obviously not.

He bit his lip with fierceness that usually only one Draco Malfoy could instill in him. He had a big family; it wasn't something he was ashamed of. But sometimes he wished he was an only child so he wouldn't have so much to live up to.

He tried; he really did. He just couldn't seem to do all the things Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George had. Even Ginny surpassed him on many levels.

He wanted so desperately for his parents to approve of him. He wanted to shove all those trophies, jobs, scores, and badges in his bothers' faces, but he never did much better than alright.

It wasn't his fault that he couldn't do it.

He hurled the ball at the opposite wall when he remembered his mother's face as she screamed at him of his inadequacies.

Maybe if he defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he would finally live up to his parents' expectations, but that was impossible. That job rested on the shoulders of one Harry Potter.

Sometimes, he knew, Harry wished he was a Weasley, but sometimes Ron would give anything to be a Potter.

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Ron fell asleep still furious with the world and everything in it, and when he woke the next morning, his mood had not improved.

He contemplated not going down to breakfast, but he knew if he didn't his whole family would crowd in his room and force him to come out or plead sick. Pleading sick wasn't even an option because Molly Weasley would know right away that he was lying.

It was a no win situation, so he gave in.

He descended the stairs quietly and with grace not many knew he possessed. He entered the kitchen to a full table and the smells of food. His stomach growled.

"Someone's hungry!" George bellowed. Fred snickered and high fived his twin.

Sickening.

"I don't doubt it. Why didn't you come down to dinner last night Ronald?" Molly inspected her youngest son with a scrutinizing eye. Ron shrugged in a noncommittal way.

Molly's eyes narrowed. Ron knew he was rubbing his mother the wrong way, and he took small pleasure in the obvious tense stance she adopted as she stood from the table.

"Ronald, you stop this instant. You will not sass me. I am your mother. Despite what may have happened yesterday, I expect you to treat me and the rest of this family with respect." Ron smiled at her and turned away.

"Well, you're no family of mine. In fact, I wish I wasn't your son." He walked back up the stairs, slammed the door, and threw up locking spells with his wand.

Maybe that little stab at her heart would hurt her as much as she hurt him everyday that she crooned over one of his siblings and spared the barest of smiles for him.

Maybe that would teach her to stop playing favorites. He was just as good as any other son she had birthed. He tried just as hard, and he had risked even more just to impress them.

And he was tired of playing to family punching bag.

He was tired of being at the bottom of the food chain.

He was going to be the favorite son or no son of her's at all.

He didn't need a family. He was better off without one, and once they saw how unhappy they were without him, they would regret ever treating him poorly.

They needed him, and he knew just how to make them see that. To make them understand that he was a star in this family of dull flecks of light.

He was Ron. Ron without a last name, and from this moment on he disowned anyone person bearing the blood or name of a Weasley.

They were filthy mudblood sympathizers with no money anyway.

**A/N: I'm quite pleased with this. Selfish little Ron. I do hate him so... (To anyone reading Fatal: It will be updated very, very soon, I promise!!)**


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